Vijayawada, Dec 6, 2018 – Kia Motors India, the world’s 8th largest automaker, today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the state of Andhra Pradesh to collaborate on the ‘Partnership for Future Eco Mobility’, The partnership reinforces Kia’s commitment to support the Andhra Pradesh government in growing the uptake of electric vehicles (EV) and the development of a local EV infrastructure.
The memorandum was signed in the presence of the Honorable Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Shri N. Chandrababu Naidu and Mr. Kookhyun Shim, Managing Director and CEO of Kia Motors India. As part of the agreement, Kia Motors has provided the government with three examples of its global bestselling eco car – a Niro Hybrid, Niro Plug-in Hybrid and a Niro EV. Kia is also installing a vehicle charging station at Vijayawada, for representatives from the regional government to charge their new environmentally-friendly fleet.
The partnership signifies Kia’s long-term commitment to build eco-friendly vehicles at its new Anantapur plant in Andhra Pradesh, an important step for the future of clean mobility in the rapidly expanding Indian market.
The Andhra Pradesh government is developing 14 ‘smart cities’, enhancing the lives of residents and enabling businesses to optimize their resources. As part of Kia’s commitment to the market, the Korean brand is working with the regional government to design a new generation of transportation systems that best serve the citizens in each of these cities. This is part of a wider plan by Kia to offer alternative mobility within the Indian market.
“Future mobility will be defined by connected and sustainable technologies that play an important role in bringing customer lifestyles and what’s good for the environment together,” said Mr. Kookhyun Shim.
“Kia is taking a lead in the global eco-friendly vehicle market, and we are confident of achieving the same in India. This new partnership with the Andhra Pradesh government highlights how we can support the growth of EV infrastructure and uptake of eco-friendly vehicles, bringing exciting new possibilities for future mobility in India.”
Kia’s ACE strategy
Kia’s ‘ACE’ strategy – to produce Autonomous, Connected and ECO/Electric cars – will see the brand adopt connected car technologies across every vehicle segment by 2030. Further to this, the company plans to offer 16 electrified vehicles by 2025. The company continues to invest in the development and commercialization of autonomous driving and eco-friendly vehicles.
Kia has been developing eco-friendly vehicle technology for over twenty years. In 2009 it launched the sub brand ‘EcoDynamics’ in the pursuit of zero emissions vehicles. Since the introduction of Kia’s first ‘EcoDynamics’ vehicle, the Forte LPi Hybrid in 2009, Kia has expanded its line-up of eco-friendly vehicles to three hybrids, two plug-in hybrids and two battery electric vehicles across global markets. It also continues to develop fuel-cell electric vehicle technology.
The three Niro vehicles provided to the Andhra Pradesh Government include the new Niro EV – a fully electric crossover capable of travelling 455 kilometres on a single charge by Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test procedure (WLTP) combined test cycle. The Niro Hybrid and Niro Plug-in Hybrid are already among the best-selling hybrid vehicles globally, employing parallel hybrid powertrains which switch between petrol and electric power – or offer a combination of both, recharging their batteries whenever possible to maximize electric vehicle range.
